Manchester United make enquiry for Chelsea star Willian

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Jose Mourinho makes early move to sign Willian ahead of the January window
Willian has been frustrated with the lack of opportunities to start at Chelsea
The Brazilian has publicly maintained he is happy to stay at Stamford Bridge
Antonio Conte is looking to add to his squad in January rather than sell off stars

Published: 09:49 EDT, 14 December 2017 | Updated: 20:48 EDT, 14 December 2017

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Manchester United have made enquiries for Chelsea midfielder Willian but the Premier League champions are reluctant to sell in January.

The Brazilian spoke about his future following Chelsea's midweek win over Huddersfield Town and said the club's fans can be calm as he is happy at Stamford Bridge.

Willian is a popular figure among team-mates, however, it is understood he has naturally been frustrated at the lack of starting opportunities and knows Jose Mourinho is a confirmed admirer.

Manchester United have enquired about the availability of Chelsea star Willian in January

Jose Mourinho remains a fan of the Brazilian attacker after their spell together at Chelsea

WILLIAN IN 2017-18

Appearances: 11 (13)

Minutes played: 1,145

Goals: 5

Assists: 4

United have posted their interest in signing the 29-year-old but Chelsea do not wish to sell next month unless they receive an extraordinary offer.

Antonio Conte is keen to keep most of his squad intact and is looking to add rather than offload as the fixtures pile up and his squad is stretched.

Chelsea remain keen to strengthen at wing-back and are open to adding another centre-back and striker with Michy Batshuayi continuing to fall short of expectations.

They continue to look at the likes of Monaco's Thomas Lemar and Leon Bailey at Leverkusen but any move for the latter is now likely to be shelved until the summer.

United, meanwhile, are expecting offers for Henrikh Mkhitaryan as he struggles to impress Mourinho.

However, an initial proposal from Inter Milan is understood to have been rejected. Talk of a swap involving Joao Mario has been dismissed.